Vengeance
by Saphizz
Summary: Takes place after Book of Secrets: Ian escapes from prison and is on the run looking for revenge on Ben. The only way to do that is through Abigail and Riley. Bad Summary--please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Look at this Ben!"

The sound of Abigail's frantic voice echoed through Ben's head. He was on the front porch of their home pacing around talking with his good friend Riley when she immediately thrust the day's newspaper in his hands. All three sat down on the cold concrete steps leading up to the mansion Ben and Abigail were currently living in as a brisk afternoon breeze gusted by.

"Look at this!" she repeated. Abigail stared into Ben's eyes as his eyes slowly turned towards the crumpled newspaper that lay clutched in his hands. His eyes scanned the page until he saw what Abigail was so worried about. In big black bold letters at the top of the page read the headline "_Prison Escapee on the Run_". Now if that wasn't scary enough by itself, the picture below it sent chills down Ben's spine. In the black and white photograph was a man with dirty blonde mangy hair who looked rather forlorn. Etched in his face were wrinkles which portrayed a worn out look about him and it was plainly visible that he was angry. That man was Ian Howe.

"How—how did h-he—wait what?" Ben sputtered, desperately attempting to force the many questions out of his mouth. Riley stood beside him, mouth equally as wide open as Ben's.

"That's Ian!" Riley exclaimed, just realizing the situation at hand and jabbing the picture of Ian with his index finger.

"Very good Riley," Abigail said sarcastically, a teasing grin spreading across her face.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Riley answered back to her sardonic remark.

Ben, however, wasn't paying much attention to their little conversation. He was more concerned about how Ian had managed to escape prison. Not many people have ever done that before—but then again it was Ian. Ben skimmed through the article and read it out loud:

_Ian Howe, accused of kidnapping, attempted murder, and trespassing on government property, has escaped from prison. There is no word on where he went; however, the police have a lead on where he could have gone. There is no news yet of how he managed to escape this highly guarded facility. Howe has a notorious reputation after his clash with famous treasure hunter Ben Gates. Tune into the news for daily updates on this catastrophe. Be aware of Howe. If you see him or know anything useful about him, please alert the police. _

Below the text was a small description of Ian including his height, age, etc. so other citizens could help identify him.

Ben finished reading and sat the paper down on the front porch steps beside him. His face was filled with terror though he tried his best to conceal it. Abigail leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. Riley looked as if he just saw a ghost. He was stunned. All three sat in silence until Riley piped up.

"What do you think he'll do? I mean it's not like Ian's our good best friend—although that would be nice right now," Riley joked. Ben revealed a small smile but was enveloped in the situation at hand. _What would Ian do?_

_--_

Meanwhile Ian, having finally escaped from prison, trudged towards the city. He sat down to rest on a rock jutting out of the barren land. In his hand, he grasped the same newspaper Ben had read from. He glanced at the headline and chuckled to himself. He didn't mind being on the run although he would have to be a bit more careful. There was only one thing on his mind and that was revenge. Revenge on Ben.

--

"Do you think Ian will come here, for us?" Riley asked.

"I'm not sure Riley," Ben replied, his face filled with angst and worry. He knew Ian would come but did not want to scare Riley even more.

"Well, it's better to not dwell on it," Abigail suggested. "Let's go inside."

Ben knew she was right and so he and Riley followed Abigail inside the mansion, trudging their feet along. The trio arrived in a room and sat down on the cushioned couches by the fireplace which was glowing with bright red and orange sparks. Abigail decided to take their minds off of the subject she had been so keen to tell them.

"Riley, are you going to write a new book about our adventure to Cibola?"

"I'm not sure yet," Riley responded, "Maybe."

"I bet you've gotten many sales on your book about the Templar Treasure," Abigail said, hoping to cheer Riley up.

"Yeah, I guess," Riley said back, uninterested. Abigail's face fell, disappointed.

Riley saw this and so he added, "Sorry Abby for being like this. It's just after what we've been through, we have to watch out for Ian as well? It doesn't seem fair."

"You're right," Abigail concluded and then she turned around to look at Ben who had stayed silent this whole time.

"Ben?" she asked gently.

"Hmm, what?" Ben said, obviously not paying attention to anything other than the article he had just read.

"Are you alright Ben?" Abigail asked again.

"Yeah, fine," Ben said.

"Well you seem a bit- I don't know- out of it?" Riley pointed out. Abigail gave him a nudge with her elbow and he quieted down.

"I'm fine," Ben said once more. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Alright," Abigail said. "I'll go get some drinks."

She left Ben and Riley to themselves as she got up and walked towards the kitchen.

"You know, she's just trying to help," Riley announced to Ben.

"I know," Ben said. "I just can't believe Ian's back."

He muttered under his breath once more as if he couldn't believe it, "Ian's back."

**Please review! This is my first National Treasure fanfic and there will be more chapters to come. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Hey you! Come back with my purse!" an elderly lady shouted at a man dashing away with her black leather purse.

The man, whose head was enveloped with a black shroud, ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He dashed past cars that screeched to a halt when he abruptly ran in front of them. The criminal scurried around a corner, oblivious of all the people he was knocking down while fleeing. As soon as he ran into a deserted alley and could not hear the aged woman's cries any longer, the man revealed his face. It was Ian. He searched through the purse, fumbling around. Finally his face erupted in joy as he found what he was looking for: a wallet. In it lay about fifty dollars. "_I can deal with that,"_ he thought, glad to have _something_. Now Ian could buy necessities but not for long. He knew he needed more, but how? Ian slouched against the brick wall and slid down, sitting on the cold wet ground. He couldn't live life stealing from little old ladies. He needed a plan.

--

"Iced tea anyone?" Abigail asked as she came strolling out the kitchen door.

Ben and Riley were sitting comfortably on the couches, Riley's feet propped up on the wooden table nearby. They seemed content now despite the dreadful fear of Ian on their minds. Ben and Riley turned to face Abigail and each accepted a nice tall glass of the cool and refreshing iced tea.

Ben took a sip of the light brown liquid and faced Abigail and Riley.

"If Ian does come after us, we must be careful. He's most likely after me since I did turn him in. I just want you guys to know that you should always be on the lookout for him."

Abigail and Riley nodded, knowing the possible danger looming over them.

--

Ian thought and thought. Revenge was more important than hiding and scavenging for food. He knew the only way to settle the scores between him and Ben was to capture the people he cared about the most. Ian had his plan.

--

At night that very same day, Ian found his way to Ben and Abigail's home. Without his henchmen by his side, Ian had to be more careful. He wore a black cloak in order to blend in with the midnight sky and slowly tip-toed his way to the front door. Ian realized that the mansion would have an alarm system but it didn't matter; he just needed to go along with his tactic. With a gun tucked away in a pocket and a taser held in his hand, Ian approached the entrance of the house. Since the door was made of glass, Ian picked up a rather large stone and chucked it at the door, shattering it and sending shards of glass everywhere.

Like he predicted, an alarm buzzed throughout the mansion, startling Abigail, who woke up immediately. She grabbed her robe and ran downstairs to see what the problem was since Ben was over at Riley's for the night. Abigail came to a stop when she reached the bottom of the stairs. There stood Ian who had removed his cloak. She screamed but no one seemed to hear her. She tried to run back up the stairs but it was too late. Ian had grabbed her around her waist and cupped his hand over her mouth.

"How lovely it is to see you again. Miss me?" Ian murmured in her ear.

Ian then used his taser on her with his left hand; her body fell limp as she collapsed in his arms. Ian dropped Abigail on the ground and proceeded towards the alarm which was still blaring loudly. With one hard blow of his fist, he struck the alarm which caused the ringing to cease. He strode towards a desk and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. There he scribbled down a little note for Ben. When the letter was completed, Ian headed back towards Abigail. Her face was pale and her golden blonde hair was strewn all over her face. Ian lifted her up in his arms and ran out the door, making sure no one saw what had just occurred. Into the darkness, Ian escaped, now with Abigail, and for once in his life, he was happy.

--

The next morning, Ben invited Riley to come over to his house and Riley agreed. Ben drove his car back to the mansion but suddenly stepped on the brake when he saw that his house had been broken into.

"Why did you stop Ben?" Riley asked, his head looking down, oblivious to the damage of the house. He looked up and was taken aback, shocked.

Ben ran out of the car and sprinted towards the house.

"Abigail? Abigail!" he shouted, "Abigail!!"

There was no reply. Riley followed Ben as both men stepped through the shattered frame of what once used to be a door.

Riley called for Abigail, just like Ben had done, but it was to no avail. Abigail wasn't there. Ben looked around for clues, anything that would help him find Abigail. He wandered towards the desk and saw a letter, sloppily written, and read it silently to himself. It read:

_Hello Ben,_

_How do you do? I'm guessing you want to know where your beloved Abigail is, right? Well, it's no use trying to look for her. Meet me by the Hudson River today at 2:00 sharp and come alone if you want your Abigail alive. _

_Ian_

"He's got Abigail," Ben said, "Ian's got Abby."

"What?!" Riley exclaimed. "Give me the letter."

Ben handed the letter to Riley whose face had the same expression as Ben's when he was finished reading.

"I've got to go," Ben said. "I have to save Abigail."

"I'm coming with you Ben," Riley volunteered.

"No," Ben stated, "You read the letter. Ian wants me to come _alone_. Abigail's life depends on it! She --"

"That doesn't mean you can't have a backup plan," Riley interjected, "Here." Riley reached into his backpack, which he was carrying over his shoulder, and pulled out an ear piece.

"Do you carry those around everywhere you go?" Ben asked, concerned in a teasing way.

"Maybe I do," Riley said, "What 'cha going to do about it? Besides, it does come in handy. I've learned a lot from being around you—mostly how to commit crimes and start a riot but nonetheless..."

Ben took the device and placed in gently in his ear. Riley pulled out a tiny microphone and tucked in underneath Ben's shirt collar.

Riley added, "There, you're all set. Now, if you need anything, I can call the police, FBI, whatever. Just be careful alright?"

Ben nodded and drove away, heading towards the Hudson River to save his one true love: Abigail.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it's taken so long to update. I've been really busy lately but I promise to have more chapters up later! Hope you enjoy Chapter 3! Reviews/comments are always fun to read so please don't hesitate to write more! Thanks!**

**Chapter 3**

A large truck entered a gas station; a man stepped out of the driver's seat. He looked in his mid thirties, dressed in a plaid collared shirt with blue denim overalls on top. His head was barely visible because of the long chestnut brown hair that covered his eyes. His hands were old and tired, worn out from the years of hard labor he had to endure. He reached for the gas pump.

Ian, hiding at a safe distance behind a nearby bush, eyed the man suspiciously. He had laid Abigail down on the ground, making sure she was still out. He came out from behind the bush and cautiously sneaked up behind the man. As Ian came within two feet of the man, he swung his right arm, punching the man. The man fell on the ground, knocked out cold. Ian ran back to the bush, picked up the unconscious Abigail, and climbed into the truck. With one arm, he set Abigail in the back. He sat in the driver's seat and without looking if the real truck driver was alright, sped away from the gas station and towards the Hudson River where he knew Ben would be.

--

"_Oh, I hope she's okay_," Ben thought to himself, getting more and more worried by the minute. He couldn't help thinking of Abigail: her beautiful smile, her contagious laugh, the way her golden hair blew in the wind. Ben couldn't take it anymore. He let a tear leak from the corner of his eye but quickly wiped it away with his finger. He would be no use to Abigail weak and upset. Besides, Riley was listening to his every move back at the house. He had to stay strong for Abby.

"Are you there yet?" The voice of Riley entered Ben's ear.

"I'm not much farther since the last time you asked me which was –oh I don't know- 30 seconds ago?"

"Hey, I'm just asking," Riley explained.

"I think I'll reach the river in about an hour," Ben said. He glanced at his wristwatch. It read 1:00. "_Perfect_," he thought, "_Hold on Abby. Here I come_."

--

Ian found a nice grassy area near the river with a big brown oak nearby. He had parked the stolen truck a few yards away, just in case he needed to make a quick exit. Ian placed Abigail leaning against the tree and tied her hands around it with some duct tape. Abigail stirred and blinked her eyes. She was no longer unconscious.

The question "Where am I?" barely escaped her lips, coming out like a scratchy whisper. Abigail saw Ian hovering over her and she felt a wave a fear wash over her.

"Look at who woke up," he sneered.

"Get away from me. You don't scare me one bit Ian," she snapped. That was a lie. She was frightened but she didn't want Ian to know. Abigail tried to work her way free but it was impossible. Ian chuckled. He ripped off a large piece of duct tape and taped it over her mouth. Abigail squirmed, trying to break free again, but it was no use. She couldn't escape.

"Now sit still," Ian mocked, "Wouldn't want your boyfriend to see you all- what's the word I'm looking for? - scared?"

Ian added, "Since you're right here I'll fill you in on a little secret. Look." He showed her a gun hidden in his coat's pocket.

"There's your boyfriend's fate. And do you want to know how I'll kill Ben?" he asked. Ian paused for a second and then whispered in her ear. "By using you."

Abigail didn't know what to do. She tried to shout but the duct tape prevented her.

"Oh look. Here's Ben now," Ian said as he saw Ben's car come into sight.

Ben quickly stopped his car and ran towards Abigail. "_She's okay, she's okay_," he thought, "_but where did Ian go_?"

Ian was hiding behind the tree where Abigail was, waiting for the right moment to jump out. Ben didn't notice him and quickly ran to untie Abigail. But before he could come near her, Ian came out from behind the oak, pulled out a gun, and aimed it towards Abigail's head.

"Move and she's dead," he ordered.

Ben immediately put his hands up in the air.

"What do you want Ian?" he asked, "I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt her."

"I want my life back," Ian said, "the one you took from me. And now I'll get revenge."

"Somebody's angry," Riley commented from the mansion, listening in on the conversation.

"Wait Ian!" Ben shouted since he didn't want Abigail to pay for his actions.

Ian pulled out the taser with his other hand and again, like before, Abigail slouched over to the side having been tased.

"Abigail!!" Ben screamed, worried.

"What happened? Ben!" Riley exclaimed through his ear piece. He was more confused than ever.

The gun was still pointed at Abigail's head. She looked even paler than ever--almost lifeless. Ian untied Abigail from the tree which baffled Ben. With the gun still in his hand, Ian picked Abigail up in his arms. He walked towards the Hudson.

Ben was furious. How dare he taser her? How dare he use her as bait? But why did he untie her? All these questions filled Ben's mind. What was his plan? All was clear when he saw what Ian did next.

With one heave, he tossed the limp form of Abigail into the river, over the metal guardrail. Her body dropped, plummeting down into the murky waters below. She fell for what seemed like eternity. Her body plunged hundreds of feet down, gaining more speed the farther she went. With a huge splash, Abigail went under.

Ben felt himself scream with horror. "ABIGAIL!!"

With one leap, Ben jumped into the Hudson after her. He wouldn't let anything come between Abigail and him. He would risk everything just to be with her. After all, he did love her.

Ian smirked as Ben leaped into the river. This was only part one of Ian's bigger and more evil scheme. Now it was Riley's turn to pay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews! I'm developing the storyline so it might take some time for me to get it on paper. Other than that, I'll try to post a new chapter every day or so--whenever I can. Hope you enjoy Chapter 4!**

**Chapter 4**

Static. That was all Riley heard: a crackling noise thundering in his ear. Then silence.

"Ben!" Riley cried, "Ben?"

"Now what?" Riley thought out loud to himself. He had no contact with Ben anymore and couldn't decide between calling the police or heading to the Hudson River himself. _What would he do?_

--

Ben dove in the Hudson River, plunging down into the muddy water. _Splash_! He felt the world shake and he immediately rose up from the river for air. Ben gasped, water filling up his lungs. But that didn't matter. He _had _to find Abigail.

"Abigail!" he shrieked, "ABIGAIL!"

He swam underwater, holding his breath, but it was impossible to see anything in the Hudson. He remembered the time when he leapt into the Hudson, running from the FBI, and teaming up with Ian. He remembered the feeling of complete darkness until a stranger (one of Ian's henchmen) came to help. Ben wouldn't let Abigail drown. So he kept searching, splashing the water, in hopes of finding Abigail.

He went back under and frantically waved his arms with hopes of finding Abigail. He prayed in his head that Abigail would be alright. He wished that he would get to see her, embrace her, one more time. His prayers were soon answered.

In the water, he felt something: a body. Ben hauled the body above water and gasped for breath. It was Abigail. She was still unconscious and didn't look like she was breathing. Ben swam towards the shore with Abigail dangling on his back. After what seemed like ages, Ben's feet touched the sandy shore. He laid Abigail down, tucking strands of her fair blonde hair behind her ear. He placed two of his fingers on the side of her neck hoping to hear a pulse. He heard the sound of her heart and gave a sigh of relief. She was alive…but barely. Ben had saved her life but he soon came across another problem. Abigail needed medical attention but how was he going to carry her to his car which was up there—up on the cliff behind the guardrail? He would have to find some way to get to his car while Abigail was still alive. Luckily for him, there was a path leading up...but it was awfully long. Nevertheless Ben ran up the path with Abigail in his arms.

--

The next thing Abigail knew, she was in a hospital bed with tubes attached to her body. She blinked once, twice, three times, making sure she wasn't dreaming. Abigail was attached to a heart monitor and heard the beeping noise it made every other second. _What happened?_

Abigail looked around at her surroundings. It looked like a normal hospital room. She was lying on a comfortable bed with a fluffed white pillow cushioning her head. A thin light blue blanket was laid gently on top of her. "_How did I get here?"_ she asked herself. But before she could ponder on that subject, a doctor strode in the room. He was dressed in a white overcoat with a stethoscope around his neck. His plain white shoes squeaked as he entered the room and a cheery smile formed on his face as soon as he saw Abigail awake.

"Ah, Dr. Chase—you're awake. That's great news," he said, smiling.

"Where am I? How did I get here? Is Ben here?" Abigail asked, flustered.

"You're going to be alright. You are at the New Jersey Hospital. Everything will be fine. Don't worry."

"How do you feel?" questioned the doctor.

"Just tired and weak," Abigail replied.

"That's normal," the doctor said, "you'll be up and out of here in no time."

"Okay. Thank you Dr--?" Abigail wandered off.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself yet have I? I am Doctor Donnellson."

"Thank you Dr. Donnellson," Abigail responded appreciatively.

"No problem. You better get some more rest now," Dr. Donnellson said as he walked out of the room.

Abigail nodded and closed her eyes. If only Ben were there…

--

What Abigail didn't know was that Ben _was _there—just outside in the waiting room. Ben saw Dr. Donnellson walk out of Abigail's hospital room and walked up to him.

"Is Abigail okay?" he asked, worried.

"She's fine," Dr. Donnellson replied, "You can see her after she's rested some more."

"Oh, thank you," Ben said, relieved. Abigail would be okay.

"What's that in your ear?" Dr. Donnellson asked Ben.

"What? Oh this!" Ben said pulling out the water logged ear piece. "Ermm…It's nothing." He quickly tucked it in his pocket.

"Oh alright then," Dr. Donnellson said, a bit suspicious. He shrugged it off and walked away.

"_Riley must be so worried,"_ Ben thought, _"He probably has no idea what's going on. I'd better call him."_

Ben reached in his jacket pocket, pulling out a ruby red cell phone. Too bad it was soaked through after jumping in the Hudson. Ben rubbed it on his equally drenched pants, hoping that it would somehow magically work. It didn't. Ben needed to contact Riley but how? He had no money on him so phone booths couldn't help him. His cell phone was broken.

His mind was soon diverted to another problem. Where did Ian go? After tossing Abigail in the river, Ian had to have gone somewhere. Ian was still on the run. He was still a criminal. He hoped Riley called the police after losing touch with Ben but he knew the chances of that happening were slim. After all, Ben had told Riley not to endanger Abigail's life. Riley would assume that calling the police might pose a threat on Abigail's life. This whole situation did not look good at all.

--

Ian was cruising down the road in his stolen truck. After Ben jumped in the Hudson, Ian had snuck out and climbed into his truck. "_How would anyone survive a jump like that? What an idiot," _he thought. He was at Ben and Abigail's house. Riley sat on the front porch, hands covering his face, obviously upset. Ian parked the truck a few blocks away. He crept towards the house where Riley was, picking up a large stone along the way. Once he got within a few inches from the back of Riley's head, Ian readied himself. With one huge slam, the rock collided with Riley's skull. Riley fell over, dazed. His head bled profusely, blood staining the concrete pavement. Everything looked black. The last thing Riley heard before he passed out were the words "Hey, nice to see you again." Riley felt himself being dragged along the cold rugged gravel ground and then he was enveloped in darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay in updating. I haven't been feeling up to writing another chapter yet here it is. Hopefully there's enough Riley angst for all you Riley lovers out there but I'm not the best at suspense. Anyway here's Chapter 5! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5**

Ben was allowed to go into Abigail's room. She was sleeping, a calm and serene look on her face. Ben was sitting in a chair by Abigail's bed, leaning over her. He was relieved that she was fine. Ben truly knew what Abigail meant to him: everything.

Ben murmured in her ear, "I love you."

Abigail tossed in her bed as if she was responding to him.

Ben's hand touched her cheek tenderly. Abigail meant the world to him and to almost lose her was devastating. But she was alive and that's all that matter…at least that's what Ben thought.

--

Riley woke up in a dark cell, water dripping from the ceiling. He put a hand to the back of his head; dried blood encrusted his normally coffee brown hair. Riley fixed his eyes on his new surroundings. Driblets of crimson red blood dotted the hard concrete floor. Three sides of the small room were solid concrete. The remaining side was made up of long metal beams—similar to a jail cell. Through the bars, Riley could make out that he was in a building of some sort. Suddenly he heard a strangely familiar voice.

"Hey Riley, haven't seen you in a long time." A jeering sneer followed.

Riley whipped his head around and saw Ian standing behind the metal bars, clutching a gun.

"What do you want from me?" he demanded.

Ian just looked at him and snickered once more.

"Nothing important--just your life. It's not worth much…but still," Ian replied, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Riley stood strong, resolute.

"_Don't worry Riley," _he thought, _"Ben will save you. No worries."_

Ian knew what Riley was thinking. He used to be friends with him a while ago after all.

"Ben's not coming," Ian laughed. "He cares about that Abigail girl more than you. Haven't you noticed? Ben won't save you--no one will."

And with that, Ian left, leaving Riley alone with his own thoughts.

"_Ben will save me, won't he?"_

--

Abigail woke up from her deep slumber and found Ben asleep, in a chair, leaning on her bed. She smiled, knowing it was Ben who saved her from Ian. Abigail held his hand in hers, a single tear leaving her eyes.

Ben awoke from his sleep and found Abigail up.

"Abigail! You're alright," he said, joyously. He knew she was okay according to the doctor but he wanted to see it with his own eyes. He opened his arms and embraced her.

"Ben, I'm fine. You shouldn't worry so much," she giggled, but then in a serious tone added, "Thanks for saving my life."

As a way of saying "You're welcome", Ben leaned forward and kissed Abigail. It lasted like an eternity (in Ben's eyes). They both slowly broke away from the tender kiss, wishing it wouldn't end.

"We have to head back home to check up on Riley—to make sure he hasn't broke something," Ben joked.

"I have to stay here at least until tomorrow—doctor's orders. You go "check on" Riley and I'll still be waiting for you here, I promise."

"Okay," he replied. With one last loving glance at Abigail, Ben walked out of the room.

--

Once Ben reached the mansion, he got out of the car and headed towards the front door. But before he could take one step in, Ben noticed something surprising. He gasped as he saw a puddle of blood on the pavement. Ben ran inside the house and called for Riley. There was no reply.

"Riley!! RILEY!" he called out again.

"Oh great," he sighed. Now his best friend was missing.

Just then the household phone abruptly rang. Ben rushed over to it, wondering who could possibly be calling now.

"Hello?" he asked as he picked up the phone.

"Oh it's just me," the voice replied. Ben recognized that voice and immediately knew that it was Ian.

"What have you done with Riley?" Ben asked, furious and outraged: First Abigail and now Riley?

"Why don't you come and see for yourself Ben since you're _so_ curious?" Ian said. He then told Ben of an area close to where Riley was held captive: the nearby woods.

"I'll be there," Ben said, "You better not hurt Riley."

"My, my, you're certainly not in the position to be calling all the shots—I am. Don't be late or your worst nightmare will come true."

Ian hung up his phone, leaving Ben speechless. _I hope Riley's okay._

Ben got in his car and drove to the forest down the winding road.

--

Riley sat on the ground, leaning against the concrete wall, pondering on a way to escape. His thoughts were cut short as Ian came in.

"Feeling any better?" he asked, sarcastically.

"Why would you want to know?" Riley responded.

"Ah Riley, haven't you missed me at all?"

Riley just gave Ian a cold hard stare and looked away.

"You know, I could always kill you now…"

"Oh no need for that Ian," Riley said suddenly, "That's alright."

Ian chuckled out loud and left Riley to himself.

--

Ben headed down to the place Ian suggested that they would both meet. He found Ian leaning on a tree, a gun visible in his pocket.

"Where's Riley?" Ben asked.

"He's safe, I assure you," Ian said, "for now anyway."

"Where is he??" Ben demanded again.

"Impatient, impatient," Ian muttered. "You do realize that Riley's life depends on what you do, don't you?"

That was new. Ben didn't want to endanger Riley's life but what could he do? He felt helpless here.

"Please let him go. I'll give you anything: money, artifacts, whatever—just please don't hurt Riley."

"The only thing I want is my life back. Haven't we already gone through this before? I'm pretty sure you can't give me that even with all the money you have. You sent me to prison and now is the time I'll finally get revenge. And that's by hurting the ones you care most about."

Ian ran towards the place where Riley was being held up in some distance away. Ben pursued Ian, desperately, hoping Riley wasn't going to pay for his actions.

Ben found the building where Riley was held captive and dashed over there, right behind Ian. Ben entered the building and saw Riley sitting on the damp concrete ground. Ben shouted Riley's name but it was too late. Ian pulled out his gun and aimed it at Riley through the multiple metal bars he was hiding behind. Ian pulled the trigger and a loud booming gunshot was heard.

"RILEY!!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's Chapter 6 for you guys. Hope you like it! (Sorry about the huge delay—I don't have a good excuse. Just that I didn't feel up to writing another chapter over the weekend. Yeah, I'm lazy.)**

**Chapter 6**

"RILEY!!"

Ben's voice echoed throughout the place.

"NO!!"

Ian grinned as the bullet reached Riley's upper arm. It pierced through his sleeve and was lodged into his skin. Riley writhed in pain and fell onto the ground, one hand fiercely grasping the wound. He screamed, anguish and dread on his face. Blood poured from his arm, staining his shirt and the ground.

Ben immediately ran forward, trying to get to Riley. The metal bars stood in his way as he tried to break through them, reaching his arm out to his wounded friend.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!" Ben asked Ian, outraged.

Ian smirked and replied, "Your friend needs to go to the hospital. You do want him to live don't you?"

"Of course," Ben answered, occasionally sneaking a peek at Riley who now was lying on the floor, obviously in pain.

"How about we make a deal?" Ian asked, "Your life for his."

Ben hesitated for a mere second and then glanced at Riley. Riley's wound bled all over him; blood trickled down his arm and slowly drop by drop onto the already wet ground.

"Okay Ian. You win. Riley needs medical attention. Please Ian," Ben pleaded.

"You stay there," Ian said, pointing to a corner. He opened the metal bar gate with a key he kept in his pocket. Ian grabbed Riley's arm harshly, causing Riley to scream out in agonizing pain. Riley, being dragged mostly by Ian, staggered out of his cell. Ian still had the gun in his hand and pointed at Riley's head.

"One wrong move," he told Ben, "and your friend's dead.

Ben stared at Ian, watching Riley and him hopelessly, wondering what would happen next.

--

Ian led Riley deep into the heart of the dense forest nearby. Riley moaned desperately but no pity was shown from Ian. His heart was stone cold. With an unsympathetic shove, Riley fell from Ian's grasp onto the dirt below.

"Ouch," Riley winced.

Ian could still see the building where Ben was from a distance; no one was coming out. Ian took out a cell phone although it wasn't his. It belonged to the elderly lady whose purse he had stole some long time ago. Ian dialed the numbers 9-1-1 and left the cell on the ground next to Riley. He ran away, heading towards Ben, leaving Riley out in the cold and injured. Riley was left alone, help soon on its way.

He tried to stand up but the loss of blood affected him greatly. He was pale in the face and felt dizzy. Even with the bullet still lodged in his arm, Riley managed to sit up, leaning against a tree. He examined his wound and grimaced at the sight of it.

The cell phone was still on the ground and Riley attempted to reach for it. With his uninjured arm, Riley managed to get a hold of the phone and put it up to his ear.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" a voice came through the speaker.

"Help," Riley tried to say but it came out in a hoarse scratch.

"What's that?" the voice asked again.

"Help," Riley said more clearly, "I've been shot and B-Ben…"

He trailed off as he thought about Ben and his possible fate.

"It's okay sir," the voice said back, "Help will be on its way. We've already traced your cell phone and there will be people coming to help. I'll stay with you until help arrives."

"Thank you," Riley said.

"What's your name?" the voice questioned.

"It's Riley," he answered.

"I'm Paige. Where have you been shot?"

"In the arm," Riley replied, cringing in pain as a throb went through his arm.

"Everything will be alright Riley. Don't worry," Paige said.

Riley felt exceedingly dizzy as if the world was coming to an end. He fell on the mulch on the ground and closed his eyes. In the distance, sirens were blaring.

"_I hope Ben's okay,"_ Riley thought as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

--

Ian marched towards the building and saw Ben sitting in the corner as he had ordered. Ben stood up, shaken about Riley, and faced Ian.

"Now it's just me and you Ben," he said with a slight smirk, "It's time for me to get what I came here for: your life."

--

Abigail woke up in bed. Something wasn't right. It was already night and Ben had promised to call her before 9:00 p.m. It was already past midnight. This wasn't like Ben. He was always prompt with whatever he did. But the strange feeling in her gut told her that there really was something wrong. She just didn't know what. Abigail reasoned that she was just over thinking the situation and tried to shake the feeling off but it didn't work.

She sighed. Abigail hated being in bed, helpless. She wanted to make sure Ben was okay and reassure herself that everything was alright. But she was stuck in bed. Oh how she wished to go back home. Just then an idea popped into her head. _What if she were to escape?_

--

Ian and Ben stood face to face, neither one of them blinking. Inside Ben was afraid but he knew he had to stay resolute; it was the only way for Ian to become a little frightened himself.

Ian knew he had to act soon; the police would be here any minute to help Riley.

"_I knew I should've just let him die,"_ Ian thought but he knew that it was the only way to get Ben alone with him.

"C'mon," Ian said harshly, motioning Ben to follow him. Ian climbed into the driver's seat of the stolen truck and beckoned for Ben to sit in the back.

"Let's go," Ian said as he drove off away from the city.

Ben did not know what was happening or what was going to happen. For once in his life he was scared: scared for Riley and scared for his life.


End file.
